


In West Verona, Born and Raised

by Iloquence



Category: The Two Princes (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Romeo and Juliet inspired, Zachary belongs to oftheflamingheart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-05-28 09:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19390996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iloquence/pseuds/Iloquence
Summary: Two private schools have been rivals since the days they were built. One in East Verona and one in West Verona. Things have been calm for the lives of the students and faculty, but things begin to get out of hand as harmless pranks become reckless feats of danger, as comic banter becomes severe bullying, and as a relationship unfolds in the lives of two boys.Rupert, a high school senior in West Verona, couldn't be more bored with his life despite his riches, high grades, and popularity. When his mother urges him to change his lifestyle in preparation for college, his life begins to crumble in front of his eyes. But when he finds an East Verona boy in the convenience store one Thursday night, things change for the worse. Or maybe the better. And Rupert begins to wonder if maybe following his heart is more important than saving his reputation.





	1. In Fair Verona

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?" Yvette projected into the auditorium, her chest puffed and head high.

"I do bite my thumb, sir." Sam said, just as loud, with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?" Yvette screeched, immersed in her role.

Rupert flinched. "She's enthusiastic," he mumbled.

"Focus, Rupert." Mr. Greene snapped his fingers. "So between you and Sam, who should be the new Romeo?"

"Well, I think- Wait." Rupert pointed at himself. "Wait, me?"

Mr. Greene nodded. "I just wanted your opinion first, since you're a senior."

"Mr. Greene, I'm perfectly fine being Benvolio. Sam would definitely be a better Romeo than me."

"If you say so." Mr. Greene looked up to the stage. Sam pulled out a foam sword and rushed towards Yvette. "He looks pretty happy playing Sampson, though."

"Well, yeah, that's because they have the same name." Rupert rolled his eyes.

"He was dead set on Sampson, despite it being a minor role. I'm going to have to negotiate really well if I want him to be Romeo. Maybe throw in a couple dozen boxes of donuts." He furrowed his brows and sighed. Mr. Greene clapped his hands and shouted. "Okay, that's good! Sam, I need to talk to you. But everyone else is free to go. Good work, everyone."

Rupert picked up his bag and watched Sam nervously jump down the stage to Mr. Greene. Rupert really hoped that Sam would say yes to being Romeo. Rupert was rather content with his supporting role. He didn't care for anything bigger than this.

Actually, Rupert missed being part of just drama tech. He loved creating sets and he never minded that he had to stay late after school. And in some deep crevice of his mind, Rupert adored tech week. Some may say he was a masochistic maniac, but Rupert always felt bored and caged up back at home and wholeheartedly looked forward to tech week. He’d much rather be at drama tech where he could put his creativity to use.

His mother told him to audition for Newsies’ Jack Kelly in sophomore year. Thinking he wouldn’t get the part anyway, Rupert auditioned. He got the part despite expressing clear distaste with having a lead role. His mother showered him with praises such as “The best actor in all of West Verona High School’s history”, which was a definite exaggeration. Since then Mr. Greene expected Rupert to audition for most, if not all, lead roles. Rupert didn’t believe he had that kind of talent to be in theatre.

Rupert sighed. That didn’t matter now. He was graduating soon. He figured he could use that as an excuse to aim for smaller (albeit, still rather important) roles. Just like last year he said he couldn’t be Jack in Into the Woods because he was focusing on his studies and settled for an extra villager.

“Rupert!”

Oh. Cecily.

“Rupert! Are you going to be Romeo? With Vernon stepping down, I can’t see anyone else being Romeo.” She pleaded. It was a plea, no matter how well she could disguise it as a question disguised as a compliment.

“Cecily!” Rupert returned the enthusiasm. “Sorry, but I don’t think I will.”

“Why not? You’d make a great Romeo. You’re just so great at acting! And being a handsome, charming prince!”

“Things are getting busy for me, especially since my mom wants my senior year to be a huge hit. Have a big finish, you know?”

“Oh, yeah. I heard that you’re thinking of going to some prestigious college and pursuing business.”

Rupert stared at her. “What? No, I’m not. I’m not pursuing business.”

“Really?” Cecily tapped her chin. “I was so sure. I heard from the teachers…”

Rupert grimaced. His mother must have started it.

“It must be another stupid rumor that everyone is spreading around. Honestly, do you even think it’s possible for Jerome to track down every teacher from East Verona and silly string their houses? I mean, I don’t think it’s possible for a guy like Jerome to do that since he’s so down to earth, right? But silly string isn’t that funny. Unless you think it’s funny. I get why you’d think it was funny.” She never seemed to gasp for air. 

“Who knows?” He spotted the front entrance and gestured towards. “Listen, I gotta go now. Before my mom yells at me.”

“Oh,” Cecily grabbed his arm, “before you go, will you be going to the Halloween dance?”

“The Halloween dance isn’t for over a month!” Rupert carefully extracts her hand from his wrist. “And I’m sure I will.” Mother wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Okay!” Cecily beamed a bright smile. “Can’t wait! Better get started on looking for a date! And don’t forget that I’m always open, too!”

“Yup!” Rupert chuckled awkwardly. “Bye!”

Rupert dashed towards his mother’s car and hurried into the back seat. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Alfred.”

“Hello, Rupert,” Alfred, the butler, greeted.

“Hello, Darling,” Lavinia greeted her son. “How was school? Happy to see us?”

“School was great, Mom.” Rupert looked out the window. “And, uh, about that second question…”

“You’re not happy to see us?” Lavinia queried suspiciously.

“No, no, no, no. That’s not it at all. I just wanted to work out some sort of agreement when it comes to my, uh, arrival home.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific, Dear.”

“I don’t want you to drive me to and from school anymore, Mom. It’s kind of embarrassing and I want to go places myself now since I’m seventeen and definitely old enough to take care of myself.” Rupert blurted.

His mother sighed. “Alfred, why don’t you tell my son what is wrong with his plan?”

Alfred sighed. “Rupert, due to the circumstance of you not owning a car, you are not able to drive yourself to and from school.”

Rupert groaned. “I can just walk home,” he suggested.

“What?! No, Rupert!” Lavinia glared at him through the rear view mirror. “Do you realize how dangerous that is?”

“Um, yes?”

“I am not letting you walk home.”

“It only takes twenty minutes to walk home! And if I used my bike, it would take, like, what, ten minutes?”

“Rupert!”

“What about Alfred takes me to school, but I walk home. Is that okay?” Rupert compensated. “I mean, really, I just don’t want to burden you or Alfred with bringing me home. My schedule is packed enough as it is, and I’ll be going home at different times each day. It’d be seriously burdensome to Alfred to drive me home this year. And for you to have to find more ways to be more flexible with your schedule since Alfred has to pick you up, too.”

Lavinia scrunched her face. She smothered her mouth with her jacket sleeve and screamed.

Alfred, Rupert, and Lavinia sat in silence.

Lavinia clicked her tongue. “Fine.”

Rupert figured it would be best to bring up the rumor some other time.

\---

“Over here, Amir!”

Amir passed the football to his right.

The teammate to his left stopped. “Amir! What the heck?”

Amir turned and watched the ball bounce on the grass. “What?” Amir looked around and saw his mother to the right waving him over. He removed his helmet and ruffled his hair. Amir took a deep breath before pausing practice and running over to his mother.

“Mother, why are you here?”

“Amir, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting, but tomorrow I will have a meeting all day, so no one will be driving you to and from school. I’m sorry. I hope you understand. I trust you will get home by six thirty?”

“Most likely, if practice isn’t held back. We might take some extra time since I’ll be taking care of the new players.”

“That is fine. Again, you probably won’t be seeing me until tomorrow night.”

“Yes, Mother.” He allowed her to kiss him on the cheek.

“You may go and attend to your team now.”

Amir strapped his helmet back on and ran back to his team.

“What was that all about?” Oliver crossed his arms.

“Sorry about that pass, Oliver. My mom just needed to tell me about her meeting tomorrow.”

“Another meeting,” Leo hummed. “Your mom goes to a lot of meetings. Don’t you get lonely?”

“Of course, it’s part of her job. And I don’t get that lonely.” Amir motioned for his team to gather closer. “We’ll start the play from the top.”

“Aye, aye, Captain Amir of the East Verona Knights!” Leo ran off snickering.

Amir waited until all the boys ran over before looking up to the sky and squinting at the sun. His body felt fifty pounds heavier. His body ached to lie down and watch the clouds pass by. He wished for a bed and some peace. But he had practice to lead.

He ran towards his teammates, and away from his mother.


	2. Meet-Ugly and Meet-Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble is brewing between East Verona High and West Verona High. Will Rupert be caught in the crossfire?

“Amir,” Bailey drawled. “I just failed my AP calc test….”

“That’s all your fault for playing video games instead of studying,” Amir shot. “I’m not going to help you study for your classes if you won’t put in effort yourself.”

“I wasn’t playing games!” He rebuked. “I was studying all night for that test!”

Serena, from Amir’s left, eyed him suspiciously. “And the night before?”

“I was studying!” Bailey slammed his locker door shut. “You can check my playing history. I wasn’t playing any games.”

“Well, then. You’re just fucked.” Serena threw her hair past her shoulder for it to rest on her back. “Amir, did you hear the great news?”

“About what?”

“Football practice was cancelled because of the weather.”

Amir nodded in response. “Too bad. Those freshmen players need to get broken in.”

“Oh, please.” Serena rolled her eyes and pinched his arm. “You’ve been dead tired since the beginning of the week! Revel in this freedom and rest. I know you’re captain, but that just means you should be taking extra care of your health.” She hugged her books to her chest and closed her locker door with her hip.

“You never say that to me,” Bailey complained. “You’re always showing more affection to Amir.”

“That’s because Amir sometimes takes his job too seriously.” Serena jabbed a finger in his face. “You, on the other hand, played tag with your team when the coach wasn’t looking.”

“We were done with practice,” Bailey explained, “and Evan just got slammed by Coach so I wanted to raise their morale.”

“You two should be heading to your last period,” Amir snapped. “And Bailey, I’m can’t tutor you tonight. My mother wouldn’t allow you to be over while she’s away.”

“Fine,” Serena pulled a stink-eye and pranced off.

“Fine,” Bailey huffed as he shot a death glare at her. When she turned the corner he tapped Amir’s shoulder. “She’s so cute, isn’t she?”

Amir glowered. “Get to class.”

\---

The day was finally over, thank God! Rupert hummed a soft song while walking along the sidewalk. With one earbud in his ear, Rupert listened to his music as he overheard his friends’ conversation beside him. It was a rather cloudy day, but Rupert didn’t mind the weather. It was the first time he was walking home from school, so he better not come home looking gloomy, otherwise his mother would change her mind about this arrangement.

“You look happy,” Joel grumbled. “Can you take it somewhere else?”

“Can you take your negativity somewhere else? Rupert’s so happy today, and for you to rain on his parde is selfish.” Yvette flicked him on the forehead.

“Don’t berate me for not being as good a friend as you.”

“Guys, calm down.” Rupert rushed to contain the peace. “Why are you so upset, Joel?”

Joel kicked a rock at his feet onto the road. “Someone’s been texting me.”

“What do they text you?” Yvette’s face changed into one of concern.

“At the beginning I thought it was just some fake shit, you know? But then I found out that this guy was making threats towards me and telling me things about my personal life, things that I don’t tell other people. It was fucking weird and I was about to call the cops or some other shit.”

Joel’s hands balled into fists. His knuckles turned white. “But then I found out it was somebody I used to know from elementary. He now goes to East.”

“But what is he threatening to do? Is he trying to hurt you?” Yvette shouted

“He’s been…” Joel coughed. “Never mind. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Joel! What happened?’ Yvette cried. “What if he tries to hurt you or something? I can get my dad to--”

“You know what, we should be happy for Rupert since he’s walking home alone from here.” Joel’s quick change of the subject created a stark contrast between him and Rupert. One one hand, Joel was cautious and nervous about speaking. Rupert, despite wanting to leave and be happy, felt curious and afraid for Joel.

“You should probably talk to Yvette about it. You can tell me about it later,” Rupert hoped Joel would heed his advice.

Joel shrugged nonchalantly. He and Yvette said goodbye to Rupert and they headed off in different directions.

Rupert watched Joel and Yvette walk silently. He wished Joel was more open about his feelings. Holding in his troubles would only cause more to come. Who knows what could happen next?

Finally continuing on his way, Rupert thought about Joel’s story. Problems between West Verona High and East Verona High were actually becoming more and more prominent these days. And these weren’t small things like before either. Someone had already been reported for dumping garbage in East Verona’s gymnasium.

The teachers and faculty were pissed. When they heard that someone was purposely messing with their rival school, an assembly was held to talk about expelling any more students who would be causing problems. Those large scale attacks had stopped soon after.

But then the personal attacks began.

Aside from Joel’s case, a West Verona freshman girl admitted to being stalked by an East Verona senior boy. The senior had been stalking her for several weeks already. Crying, she explained that he found out where she lived. She stopped coming to school afterwards.

The East Verona football team was accused of cheating when a West Verona player got injured in an illegal play.

Students received mysterious texts everyday.

Students were beaten up on the streets.

Students’ personal lives were being outed on social media.

Rupert shuddered. Will Joel get hurt? Will he or Yvette be next?

Gray clouds gathered in the sky. Individual drops of rain speckled Rupert’s skin. Soon, rain would be pouring harshly onto his head and through his clothes. Groaning by the sudden change in weather, Rupert ran back home.

Rupert wished he had brought an umbrella. The rain had already begun to pour so heavily that the relentless drops of water hurt his skin. He was passing by a small back alley when he spotted three uniformed boys glaring at him as he ran. Figuring nothing of them, he continued running.

But then he recognized that uniform. And it wasn’t West High’s.

Suddenly, Rupert was being dragged back to the alleyway.

“What are you doing?” Rupert held up his hands to fight back. Was he really going to be the next target? “I didn’t do anything!”

“Shut the fuck up,” one of them spat. He was a redhead with dark freckles and the shortest of the bunch.

Rupert looked back at his aggressors. They were more in shape than Rupert, of course. Rupert could never take on one of them, let alone all three at once.

The redhead pushed Rupert to the ground and scrubbed his face against the concrete.

“Stop it,” a deep voice hissed. “Or I’ll fuck you up too, Mick.”

The three East boys towered over Rupert like wolves preying on a rabbit. One stood taller than the other two, nearly a foot taller than Rupert. He picked Rupert up by his shirt and slammed him against the brick wall. His fist pressed against Rupert’s throat.

“You’re from West, right?” his deep voice growled.

Rupert closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He hated how he managed to love the way the West boy’s voice reverberated in his stomach. It killed him to admit it to himself.

“Tell your classmates that if I hear more rumors about our football team, I’ll beat them up. I won’t hesitate to go over there myself. Don’t ruin our reputation if you’re not willing to ruin your own,” the deep voice murmured.

“Okay,” Rupert gasped. “Okay, just let me down.”

“Not yet. I want your perverted classmates to stop messing with our cheer team. Our girls shouldn’t have to deal with shitheads like you.”

Rupert grasped at the boy’s hands.

“I’m not done.” His eyes pierced through Rupert’s tears. “My sister is being stalked by one of you. I want you to stop it. I don’t care what you have to do to make it stop. Just make it stop. And if I hear about West messing with us again, I will fucking end you.”

The boy dropped Rupert, leaving him gasping for air. He sat on the ground, wincing and shaking. The blond boy came over and ripped Rupert’s blazer off his back. He snickered as the redhead threw Rupert’s sneakers into the dumpster.

“I’ll be taking this, if you don’t mind.” The blond dangled the blazer in front of Rupert who was too weak to snatch it back. The blond turned to the redhead and mumbled softly. “Why does their school logo look better than ours?”

“Hey,” the deep-voiced boy snapped. “Stop it. We did enough as it is.”

“I can keep the blazer, though, Zach?”

“I don’t care what you do with the blazer as long as you don’t hurt him anymore.” He glared down at Rupert. “We don’t want him spreading more rumors about us.”

Rupert watched as the three boys walked away. The two smaller boys ran ahead, but the deep-voiced boy Zach turned so slightly to glance back at Rupert. Their eyes locked, and Rupert gulped down the last of his fear. He looked away and gathered his things.

After fishing his sneakers out of the dumpster, he sighed in relief. “Oh, God. At least I got out alive, huh?” He stopped and fell to the ground again, tight-lipped. “Talking to myself… in this situation won’t help.”

He hugged his knees to his chest. Zach’s face, despite being so far away when they left, looked so worried for him. Rupert groaned and brushed his hair away from his face. Maybe he was seeing things. Maybe he wanted to think the boys from East weren’t as bad as the rumors made them out to be…. Who was he kidding? He was nearly choked to death. But he bit his lip. Zach didn’t really hurt him, though. And he kept the other two from hurting him.

Rupert shook away the thought and just walked out of the alley. He left his shirt half tucked and half untucked. It didn’t matter now. It would matter later if his mother saw his unkempt, injured self, but she wouldn’t be home until later that night. Rupert lifted his hands to pick the gravel off his palms and winced when he picked at a fresh scratch on his hand. He looked closer and saw that there were several cuts on his hands.

He needed to clean and bandage his hands. He paused to think. He also needed some snacks.

Rupert walked into the nearest convenience store and walked over to the bandages. He picked up a random box of normal bandages and moved towards the back where the popsicles would be. He looked through the clear window of the freezer and stood there for several minutes trying to pick out a flavor. He glanced at the fridges to see if he wanted anything else. He went back to the freezer. He looked back up and towards his left.

Rupert yelled out and stepped backward.

Rupert covered his mouth and stared at the boy several feet away from him. The boy was tall and wearing an East Verona uniform. Rupert stared at his face and studied it. It couldn’t be any of the three boys that had just jumped him, right? But it wasn’t.

Firstly, he wasn’t nearly as tall as Zach or as short as the other two. And this boy’s face was sterner and more sculpted. His eyes slightly fell in the nature of a soft glare towards the tubs of ice cream. His hair was shorter than any of the other boys and, frankly, looked cleaner and more kempt. And his arms were much more muscular than even Zach’s arms. He wasn’t extremely muscular, though. His biceps were toned just so that they slightly bulged in his shirt sleeves. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and sniffing at them with a small smile on his face. Also, his eyes were so dark and intense and could pierce through Rupert’s own….

Shit. He was staring. The boy. The boy was staring- no, glaring- menacingly at Rupert.

Rupert lowered his hands that were still covering his mouth, and he laughed awkwardly. “Um, hi. I mean, sorry. I’m sorry for staring. I was just… waiting for you to move out of the way.”

The boy stared incredulously. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Me?” Rupert thought. What happened to him? “Oh, I just… fell.”

“You fell so hard that you have a black eye?”

“I have a black eye?!” Rupert screamed. He presses his right eye and winced. Again. He needed to stop wincing. “Ow…”

“You really need to get that looked at.”

“I will. Right after I fix up my hands.”

“You also have blood staining your shirt.”

“What?!”

“Calm down. All you really need to do is take a shower and get your black eye looked at.”

“How did I get a black eye?”

“You tell me,” the boy mumbled, taking a tub of ice cream and walking away.

“Thank you… I mean, I’m sorry. I mean…” Rupert grabbed a popsicle from the freezer and ran to the cashier.

The boy watched Rupert run off. “Weird,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Rupert's eyes, Amir is always meet-cute, no matter what he is wearing or doing. Too bad he can't say the same for himself.
> 
> Zach is not mine! oftheflamingheart owns his character!


	3. Solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Rupert when he got home? And who was that boy in the convenience store?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, after posting ch 2, rereading it for umpteenth time: zach being 1 foot taller than rupert can't be real w h y d i d i w r i t e t h a t

_September 19th, Thursday._

The morning he left for school, Amir spotted the white roses in the living room beginning to wilt. The flowers sat in the sunlight beaming through the tall windows. The clear vase sparkled and the water projected a dancing shadow on the table. Browning petals fell from the flowers and flitted down to the vase’s shadow.

There weren’t any other flowers in the living room. There were plenty of green plants, but the white roses stood as the centerpiece of the entire room.

White roses weren’t his mother’s favorite flower. Amir forgot her favorite, but he knew that white roses didn’t make the top ten of her list. She only mentioned her favorite flower once, but made sure to repeat her distaste for the white roses every time she sat on the couch next to the table the roses sat atop.

“They remind me of him,” she’d mutter. It was safe to say that she hated white roses the most. Why she kept them and why she never used any other flower, she never said.

After school, Amir visited the florist to get more flowers. He wondered if he should get a different bouquet of flowers. He decided to get a different breed of flower, but he wondered which he should get. He chose to stick with white colored flowers.

His mother’s coworkers always bought her flowers to exchange the white roses with. She never changed the white roses and lined the hallways with the ones they gifted her. And sometimes, when a coworker didn’t receive the news about her hatred for them, she would receive white roses, and she would throw them away with no regard for the giver’s feelings.

Amir always bought the new flowers. He was the one who changed out the white roses with fresh new ones for the past eight years. And for eight years, he mostly stuck with the white roses.

He tried something else once, pink peonies. After a day, he realized that they didn’t look nice and changed them out again. This time he tried red lilies. Again, the flowers didn’t suit the living room. It didn’t suit the aura of the household. He went back to white roses, disappointed in himself.

Today, though, he thought he should try again. Instead, he would keep the white color and from there he would guess. He bought white chrysanthemums and exited the florist’s shop.

Before heading home, Amir decided to stop at the convenience store. He didn’t really know what he was looking for. Maybe a distraction. He was restless.

He situated himself in the back looking at the ice cream. He stood there for five minutes when someone walked over to the freezer for individual sale ice cream and popsicles. He paid them no mind.

But this person was increasingly getting on his nerves. The person in question was a boy his age that stared at him for a disturbingly long amount of time.

Amir stared right back, hoping to intimidate him without having to say anything. It shocked Amir to find that this teen boy was disheveled and covered in scratches and blood stains. The rain and mud just made this boy look more pitiful than he needed to be. He also had a really bad black eye. Damn, Amir thought, what did he go through?

The boy stepped back, finally realizing that he had been staring. Oddly enough, even covered in dirt and blood, even with his wet clothes, and even with his black eye, the boy’s blushing face managed to look cute.

“Um, hi. I mean, sorry. I’m sorry for staring. I was just… waiting for you to move out of the way.” He blustered his way through his words and looked around nervously.

“What the hell happened to you?” Amir was curious, but hopefully it wasn’t something that he would have to get himself involved in. He was already staring, so he had to cut the tension somehow.

“Me?” He paused to think. Oh, my God. He’s hopeless.

Amir mentally slapped himself for asking. This kid either had his head hit on the way to the store or was making up a lie. He didn’t know which he preferred more.

“Oh, I just… fell.” The boy finally answered.

Not buying it, Amir responded immediately. “You fell so hard that you have a black eye?”

“I have a black eye?!” the boy screamed. Amir rolled his eyes. The boy presses his right eye and winced. Amir closed his eyes and wondered how dim this boy was. “Ow…”

“You really need to get that looked at.”

“I will. Right after I fix up my hands.”

“You also have blood staining your shirt.”

“What?!”

“Calm down. All you really need to do is take a shower and get your black eye looked at.”

“How did I get a black eye?”

“You tell me.” Amir took a tub of ice cream, aiming to run off before they launch into a full conversation. Although, he figured that had already happened. He needed to get out before the boy continued sputtering lies that worried him. He needed to stop worrying for this stranger.

“Thank you… I mean, I’m sorry. I mean…” The boy snatched a popsicle and ran off.

“Weird.” Amir returned the ice cream, knowing full well he wouldn’t eat it. He just walked out the store and returned home.

He exchanged the white roses with the white chrysanthemums. Surprisingly, he liked them a lot more than the roses. Hopefully, his mother would too. They’ve been spending too much time with white roses; they needed to move on. Amir threw away the roses.

\---

Rupert didn’t trust himself to sneak into his house. He was far too noisy and clumsy. His only obstacle was Alfred. While his mother wouldn’t be home for several more hours, Alfred was right in the living room waiting for him. There were two ways his situation would end up.

One, he sneaks into the house and gets himself cleaned and changed into another set of his uniform. He wouldn’t be able to fix the black eye, but he could maybe pass it off as a bad prank someone tried to pull and somehow ended up with his injury. When he got himself cleaned, he would sneak back out, rush to the front door and Alfred would be none the wiser. He would say he was tired and needed rest because his black eye was bugging him and he wouldn’t have to deal with his mother. Until morning, that is. That was the real con of the first plan. If this somehow managed to work, Rupert would have to deal with his mother’s insistent questions right before school, thus ruining the rest of his day.

Two, he walks right into the house right then and there. Alfred would greet him, see the injuries and dirt, and immediately tell his mother that something happened. That was the reason why he was there--to make sure Rupert got home safely the first day he walked home. And then Alfred would force Rupert to sit in the living room with an ice pack for his eye and wait for his mother to come home to interview him that night, thus ruining his night. But at least he could sleep on it and not have to deal with it tomorrow.

So he proceeded with plan two. And it played out exactly how he pictured it. Until the later half.

When his mother arrived and burst through the door with a worried look plastered all over her face, Rupert sat up on the couch and braced for impact. Even Alfred shuffled into the kitchen to stay away from the danger zone.

“What happened? Are you hurt? Oh, my God! You are hurt! Where does it hurt the most? Is that blood? Is that a black eye? Oh, my God! How did this happen?”

“I’m fine, mom!” Rupert explained. “I just fell and landed really badly. Really, it was my bad. I’ll watch out next time.”

“Oh, dear,” she hushed, sitting next to him, “why are you like this?”

“I’ve always been like this,” Rupert laughed awkwardly.

“You’re like him,” she muttered with a distasteful tone.

Rupert quieted.

“I told you that walking home by yourself was dangerous! Alfred will drive you home. I’ll drive myself to work.”

“No!” Rupert argued. “I can walk myself! Or I can get someone to drive me! Joel and Yvette both have cars. I can get them to drive me. Please.”

“This isn’t just about you walking from school!” She raised her voice. Her eyes narrowed. “This is about your lifestyle and attitude, young man. You need to stop worrying about things and start focusing on going to a good college and inheriting the family business.”

“I don’t want to inherit the family business!” Rupert stood up. His mother followed. “I want to do my own thing!”

“You’re just not ready!” Lavinia shouted. “You just haven’t put in the time to study!”

“I am studying! And I’m doing great in school!”

“You’re not taking the classes you should be taking! What about AP Statistics and AP Macroeconomics?”

“I don’t like those things! I’d fail those classes! I’d rather take social studies and humanities courses!”

“Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean you can’t do well in it.” Lavinia grumbled, massaging her forehead with her fingers.

“It’s not about--” Rupert scowled and groaned. “I like social studies! I want to major in history, not business!”

“I’m only thinking about what’s best for you!” she snapped. “History will not get you anywhere! It will not get you money, healthcare, a house! But if you just inherited our business you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing!”

“Clearly, it seems that you don’t care about me,” Rupert spat. It came out like a knife intending to hurt. Because Rupert did want it to hurt. But he immediately regretted it. He wouldn’t hear the end of it now. God. He was stupid. He was so stupid. He wanted to die. He wished he had just gone with the first plan. Maybe he wouldn’t have been as angry in the morning. Maybe he should have done that. God. He was so stupid.

Lavinia paled and took in a deep breath. She let it out slowly. “You clearly don’t understand _me_. Sit down.”

She wasn’t going to yell at him? He sat down. He wondered if this was worse. He didn’t know. He was stupid. He wanted to die.

“I drove all the way back home just to make sure you were okay, and this is how you treat me?”

He wished the couch was a black hole swallowing him up.

“I only want what’s best for you.” She spotted Alfred who entered the living room again with a kettle of tea and some cups. “We’re busy, Alfred.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but clearly there is something else you haven’t caught onto yet.” Alfred set down the tea and eyed Rupert’s shirt.

Lavinia followed his gaze, wondering what Alfred could possibly be talking about. She stared. Her eyes widened. “Rupert,” she began slowly, “where is your blazer?”

“I…” Should he lie? He wanted to lie. He wanted to lie and get out of this mess. But lying would make things worse. But telling the truth would revoke his freedom. What did he want? What did he need?

His head drooped down. The lights seemed to shine only on him. The air was vacuumed out of the living room. His heart hammered holes in his chest, but nothing came in. Nothing came out.

“The East boys took it.”

Lavinia shuddered. Not Rupert. Not him too.

“We’re getting that eye checked in the morning.”

Rupert wanted to argue. But what was the point? If any one even listened, they didn’t care.

_September 20, Friday._

Atossa sat looking at the chrysanthemums in the living room. “Did you get these, Amir?”

“Yes, I did.” Amir gathered his things. “Do you not like them?”

“They’re very different.”

“I know. But I hoped that it would be a good change. I think they look nice.”

Atossa nodded. After a while she began again. “There will be a reunion party on the nineteenth of October. You will be coming.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“There will be coworkers there. As well as internship opportunities.”

“I understand.”

“I expect you to find someone of interest to you.”

“Yes, Mother, I will.”

\---

“Well,” the doctor cleared his throat, “it seems it is not that bad.”

“Are you sure?” Lavinia pestered him. She gripped her purse. Knuckles turned white.

“I’m very sure. At least you don’t look like a raccoon.” The doctor joked.

Lavinia didn’t laugh. Rupert offered a pitiful chuckle.

“Rupert didn’t get that badly injured. I’d be more concerned about his mental and emotional states.” He turned to the boy in question. “You should have attended to it right away, but I’ll let you go for that. Thankfully, it will go away in a few days. Just remember to not get into any more fights.”

“I didn’t get into a fight,” Rupert explained unnecessarily. His mother groaned and covered her face with a hand.

“Please, Rupert,” she mumbled.

“They were the ones that jumped me,” Rupert continued. The doctor, at the very least, actually seemed interested to hear him out. “And they didn’t really beat me up. Only one of them really did, but another kept him from doing his worst. Honestly, I got the black eye in the beginning, then I was just pinned against a wall for a few minutes.”

The doctor nodded, mildly interested. “Well, at least you didn’t fight back. It could’ve ended up much worse. If you got a black eye just by being pushed to the ground, I don’t want to know what would have happened if you’d have been punched by one of them.”

“Well--” Wait. What was he going to say? _Well, Zach, one of the bullies, didn’t let them. Arguably, he was the nicest of the bunch. I mean, I know that threatening to kill me if I didn’t carry out his demands doesn’t seem very nice, but he did the least damage to me physically. I think. That one other guy threw my shoes in the trash so I can’t really forgive him for that._

“Well, it wouldn’t be good,” he stated the obvious. His mother shook her head. The doctor laughed.

Rupert laughed. But really, he had to do something about Zach’s demands. Otherwise, he would really be in danger. And “it wouldn’t be good.”

_September 21, Saturday._

His brain told him not to touch his eye. He did anyways. It stung, of course. It had only been two days. He let his arms hang loosely at his sides as he walked to Star Crossing.

His mother warned him not to go out. She was worried about the bullies showing up. Rupert promised he would be careful and call a friend to pick him up when he felt unsafe. She finally caved when Alfred said that she had to leave for work.

Rupert needed to go out. There was nothing to do at home. He didn’t want to be surrounded by homework or a butler that seemed to be psychic. His mother had bedridden him since coming home from the doctor. And for once in his life, Rupert wanted out of the warm bed and into the cold world full of colder people.

He needed that coldness. He wanted to know that he wasn’t alone. To overcome his regrets, he needed solitude and solidarity.

He reached Star Crossing and looked around. It was an almost abandoned street with an empty and drab looking park on the corner turning to Dipper Street.

The park, apart from the chipped paint and rust, looked exactly the same from ten years ago. It would be dangerous now to climb on the playground structure or to go down the slide. The only safe looking piece of equipment was the swingset.

He missed this park. He would beg his mother to take him here nearly every day when he was a toddler. Then every day turned to every week when he started elementary. Then twice a month when he entered fifth grade. Then he just stopped.

The merry-go-round turned slightly in the wind.

He remembered that as time passed by, fewer children visited the park. The friends that he made here disappeared without a trace.

They used to celebrate children’s birthdays here. There was a sheltered picnic area where the birthday kid would sit and wait for their candles to be lit and for their parents to begin singing. The children would yell and beg for the parents to hurry so that they could play in the grass.

The toddlers that would run up the slides started kindergarten. The seven-year-old girls who would sit in the grass and play tea party turned thirteen and walked past the park and towards the stores downtown. The group of elementary boys who chased each other around the playground slowly dwindled down to one last boy who would sit on the swings and read a book.

The swings were his favorite playground equipment. He was glad it was still intact. Rupert grasped the book in his hands tighter. Hopefully the chains lifting the seats up wouldn’t break under pressure.

Rupert’s favorite seat was empty, but when he got closer, he saw someone on the seat next to it. Inching closer, Rupert got a clearer view of the person’s face.

He stopped.

The other boy stopped.

And they stared.

Star Crossing Park couldn’t have seemed any more crowded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote all this in one night :') i'm a powerhouse running on fatigue
> 
> i just like writing heh
> 
> tumblr: @ porridge-adragon


	4. A Prince Shake Hands with a Liar?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Crossing Park has been lonely for the past years. It will do anything to keep itself company. Rupert and Amir may fall into its trickery, but what happens outside of Star Crossing Park is up to them.

_September 21, Saturday._

Amir rocked himself to and fro on the swing. His unzipped jacket fluttered like a cape as he propelled himself forward. His feet never left the ground. So did his eyes.

He hadn’t been at Star Crossing Park in years. He remembered the day his mother refused to bring him to the park and told him that he had to start focusing on his studies now that he was heading into middle school.

What made him want to come here? His mundane life slipped into the cracks of his mind and slowly chiseled away at his neurons and finally ate away at his sanity. He wondered how adults pushed through each day, knowing that the more days they lived, the more they’d lose the time to live. What made them get up in the mornings of their work days? Was it the impending, constant reward of Friday night drinks and Saturday morning hangovers? Was it the faces of their families, always seemingly tucked underneath bed covers until breaks off school? Was it the idea of financial stability? Was it the idea of necessity?

Amir needed to stop thinking. He stared blankly at the dirt. His sight hazed over.

He needed to do something. Just sitting here wasn’t enough. If he was going to escape from his rigid schedule then he shouldn’t be sitting here, waiting for it to catch him at any moment. Yet, he sat there on the swing with no intention of standing.

It didn’t take long for the quiet air to be pierced by the dull footsteps on the sidewalk. He looked up, thinking it would be no one in particular, someone who would ambly walk by the park without a glance towards him.

But he recognized this boy. And the boy recognized him, too.

Wait, why was Amir here again? What was he thinking about?

_September 23, Monday._

“Rupert!” Yvette ran up and hugged him tight.

“Ow! Yvette, I still have bruises….” Rupert gently pushed her off.

“Sorry,” she said, releasing him and tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m just glad to see you back in school.”

“Yeah, kid, we missed you Friday.” Mr. Greene smiled sympathetically, walking past them. “Glad you’re okay.”

Rupert smiled. “Thanks.”

Yvette frowned. “But seriously, though, did the East boys really bash your head against the wall?”

“No! Where did you hear that?”

“Some guys were saying that! Others are saying that you kicked their asses. I don’t know what to believe--okay, I doubt you kicked their asses--but still!”

Rupert placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m fine, Yvette. I was just jumped and jostled around a bit.”

“Then what about that black eye?”

“Um, well, that was from them scrubbing my face on the sidewalk.” 

She gasped, her hands flinging up to her mouth. “Why would they do that?”

“I’m fine, Yvette,” Rupert reassured her.

“Where’s your blazer?” she asked, looking over him.

“Oh, my mom didn’t want me wearing it in case East students recognized me with it on.”

It was a reasonable outcome. Now that Rupert was a target, who knew what they would do to him next? He had to make sure that he didn’t wear anything that would get him in trouble with East. That, he and his mother agreed upon.

“Just talk to me if you need anything, okay?” Yvette took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “I’ll be here.”

“Okay.” Rupert squeezed it back just as reassuringly.

Yvette opened her arms for another hug, but she hesitated and settled for mussing up his hair into a frizzy mess. She gave one final grin before walking off to her locker.

Turning hesitatingly, Rupert made eye contact with Joel, leaning against his locker and tapping his fingers on a soda bottle. Rupert averted his gaze and sighed.

“I know… what you’re going to tell me.”

“Good. So I don’t have to tell you.”

“It wasn’t my fault, and--”

“I know it wasn’t your fault, Rupert,” Joel stressed. “Don’t act like I’m your mother.”

“Sorry.” Rupert slumped down and sat on the floor. “Thanks for driving me home now.”

“No problem,” Joel murmured. “Just don’t get in trouble with them again.”

Rupert snickered. “You’re worried for me, Joel?”

Joel punched his shoulder. Rupert rubbed his sore joint and Joel sat down next to him. “Remember when that one kid in kindergarten poured his paint water all over you?”

Frowning in embarrassment and speculation, Rupert mumbled, “Yeah?”

“I wish I didn’t.”

Rupert scoffed. “It was paint water, and we were in kindergarten.”

“Yeah, but I remember your face,” Joel muttered, looking away from Rupert. “You were about to cry and I didn’t do anything. I didn’t know what to do.”

Rupert cocked a brow in confusion. “We were five. I didn’t expect anything from you.”

Groaning, Joel faced Rupert. Their knees knocked against each other. “I don’t know how I can help you now,” Joel whispered. “What if something happens to you?”

Zach’s words flooded into Rupert’s head. _Just make it stop. And if I hear about West messing with us again, I will fucking end you._ What was Rupert going to do about his tasks? He only had so much power.

Rupert gripped his arms, tensing his body so that it wouldn’t shudder from feeling the faint impact of his face against the concrete. His neck constricted, Zach’s hand ghosting over his adam’s apple.

“I’ll be fine,” Rupert promised him, showing off a struggling smile.

Joel focused his eyes on his hands unscrewing the cap off the soda bottle. “I’ll kill any East student that comes near you.” He drank from the bottle and felt the fizz on his tongue before continuing.

“You better stay away from them. Don’t go looking for those guys who jumped you.” He looked at Rupert in the eye. His face looked stern, but his eyes were soft and worrisome. “Just… keep away from anybody from East. Please.”

This time, Rupert tensed and Joel noticed. He forced a shaky smile. “I will,” Rupert lied.

_September 21, Saturday._

“You’re the guy from the store.”

Amir searched Rupert’s eyes for the reason as to why he was here. Why was this kid here? Was it just a coincidence?

“I am,” Amir confirmed. “And you’re the guy who was covered in blood, dirt, and bruises.”

“Yeah…” Rupert mumbled. “I cleaned up.”

Rupert sat on the swing next to him. They stared at the ground, the awkward silence growing between them, making it more apparent that they weren’t going anywhere. Their jacket sleeves brushed against each other, reminding them how unseemingly close they were to each other.

“It was a long story, really, but I won’t bore you with the details,” Rupert began with a chuckle, wanting to break the ice. “These guys jumped me for no reason and I’m getting the short end of the stick even if I did nothing wrong.”

“Sounds rough,” Amir commented, not necessarily fascinated with Rupert’s story. He listened half-heartedly, only responding when he thought it was needed.

Rupert took a deep breath. “So what brings you here? It’s not like this park is very popular.”

“I needed some fresh air,” Amir answered. “Why are you here?”

“Same as you,” Rupert responded, glancing quickly at Amir’s face, glowing in the moonlight.

He couldn’t help but stare at the other boy’s lips. He looked away, learning from last time what staring got him into.

“Do you come here often?” Rupert asked.

Amir sighed. “Do you always talk this much?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Rupert mumbled. He puffed his cheeks and tapped his fingers on the chains. “It’s just that I’m kind of all wound up from these past few days and I haven’t been able to properly outlet these thoughts….”

Groaning, Amir shook his head. “Look, I came out here to have some quiet time for myself, not to listen to you ramble about your troubles, sorry.”

“Sorry,” Rupert finally shut up.

They sat there on the swings, watching the moon. They knew their mothers would get angry at them for coming home late, but they didn’t move from their spots.

It seemed that neither of them were going to leave soon, so Amir began talking to Rupert again.

“This is the first time I’ve been here in years,” he explained.

“Me, too,” Rupert replied. “I remember the last time I was here, I swung so high into the air that I scared all the parents.” He laughed softly.

“It was fun,” he whispered. _Being noticed._

Amir looked up at the moon. “The last time I was here, it was sunset, and my mother had to pry my fingers off the swing.”

Rupert laughed. “Were you five?”

Amir scowled. He was twelve. But he wouldn’t tell the stranger that.

_And if I hear about West messing with us again, I will fucking end you._ Rupert suddenly tensed, remembering where this stranger went to school. He was glad that he didn’t have his blazer on at the convenience store, otherwise he might have been screwed. Maybe this stranger is classmates with Zach? What if they’re friends?

Looking at the boy beside him, Rupert realized that his bruised body wasn’t in a state to fight such a well-bodied young man. Not that he wanted to fight a stranger. But if he let his guard down, the boy would figure out where he went to school, and maybe beat him up like the others.

But honestly, Rupert didn’t feel like being cautious. He needed advice. He needed help. Maybe a stranger could help him.

“Hey, I’m having this problem, and I’m kinda stuck. Would you mind just--I don’t know--sharing your thoughts?”

Amir stared at him. “We barely know each other.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Rupert rushed. “I mean, this isn’t something I can really talk to my friends or family about. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and--”

“Just tell me what’s wrong,” Amir sighed.

“Okay,” Rupert began. He struggled to keep the story together without slipping about his school or mentioning how his bullies had something to do with it. He powered through, telling him about the horrible things that students had been doing at his school and how it has been affecting his personal life. Eventually, through Amir’s many eye rolls and sighs, he finally finished the story and looked at the other boy expectantly.

“Sorry if that didn’t make any sense, I--”

“I’d probably just talk to the teachers about it and let them handle most of the hard work. All you’d have to do is tell them what needs to be done.” Amir rested a hand on his chin.

“But that would only work if your faculty trusted you and would put in the effort to stop these things. Otherwise, I’d talk to the students myself. I still think that you should tell a teacher you trust about it, or even a student council member. You shouldn’t have to go through this if it means your personal life is at risk because of these careless students.”

Rupert blinked in awe. He sounded so assured and responsible. “If only you were on my student council.”

“I am. I mean, I’m the president of my school’s student council. I don’t think you go to… my school.” Amir scrunched his brows together.

Rupert’s story seemed awfully familiar. Maybe this boy did go to his school, but then he would know that Amir was on the student council. Otherwise, he could go to West Verona, and in that case, what was he doing telling his story to him if he saw Amir in his uniform on Friday? He wasn’t wearing a blazer, so he couldn’t tell if he went to a private school.

“Where do you go to school?” Amir asked.

He couldn’t guarantee that this boy would answer truthfully. But if he was from West Verona, what would Amir do? Maybe storm off in a rage. After all, why else would the boy tell him such a familiar story about terrible things his classmates were doing? Was it a ploy to catch Amir and turn him in? Was this stranger going to slowly get to know him and stab him in the back later? Was this stranger going to jump him? Did he have backup somewhere lurking behind the corners of the buildings?

Rupert panicked. Did he realize that he went to West? “I go to White Run,” he answered, his mouth lingering a bit too long on the ‘w’.

“White Run Academy?” Amir repeated, surprised. “You’re that far from here?”

“My mom wanted only the best for me,” Rupert laughed awkwardly. “Especially after elementary and middle school here.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, you know, standard bullying. We couldn’t keep them off my back and they were planning on going to West Verona, so I didn’t want to go there.”

“Oh.” Amir muttered. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Rupert shrugged and waved his hand off.

Well, it wasn’t as if he was telling a complete lie. He really did get bullied when he was younger, and he begged his mother to let him go to a school other than West Verona. But his mother was stern and stubborn; she wanted the best for Rupert. She forced him to go to West Verona High School, and thankfully, the bullies backed off and found another, much nicer hobby. Maybe she had her hand in things, contacting parents and emphasizing bullying in a series off assemblies the first few weeks of Rupert’s freshman year.

“Well, I go to East Verona,” Amir said, gauging Rupert’s reaction.

Rupert only acted slightly interested, nodding his head in response. “I figured. I saw your uniform yesterday.”

Amir pursed his lips and turned his face forward. He still set his eyes on the stranger. “You better not be lying.”

“A- about what?” Rupert sputtered.

“Anything,” Amir spat. “I mean, you basically gave me three sob stories today, so you’re practically asking me to pity and give you attention.”

“That’s me,” Rupert laughed. “Full of sob stories. I mean, it’s why I’m here now.”

He watched Amir’s gaze transfix onto the moon. “So,” Rupert began, “what about you? Why are you here?”

“None of your business.”

“Wait, so I told you three sad stories, and you can’t tell me even one?”

Amir bit his lip. He sighed. “I’m just stressed. School has been getting to me, and… and I have so much to do. I--” He groaned and rested his head in his hands.

“I have no idea who to turn to, I guess.”

Rupert hummed thoughtfully and smiled softly. “Well, now you’ve got me.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Rupert.”

He extended his hand expectantly.

Amir inspected it. “Amir,” he sighed, before shaking hands with Rupert.

Their hands were cold. When they shook hands, warmth flooded their fingertips. But when they released their grips, the cold returned to their hands.

Absentmindedly, Rupert rubbed his hand, wondering where the heat went. So did Amir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOA and we have lift off!! But will we have problems, Houston?


End file.
